Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps is a world-champion swimmer who holds the record for most gold medals won in a single Olympic games. Phelps broke swimmer Mark Spitz's 36-year-old record during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing by winning eight golds, besting Spitz by one medal.

Phelps had two very close calls on his way to history. In the 400-meter freestyle relay, Phelps' teammate Jason Lezak came from behind in the anchor leg to catch France's Alain Bernard and win by eight-hundredths of a second. In the 100-meter butterfly, Phelps outtouched Serbia's Milorad Cavic by 0.01 second after trailing for most of the race to win his seventh gold of the games. Seven of Phelps' eight gold medals were won with world-record times.

Phelps has been cited more than once by police for driving under the influence of alcohol. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Phelps won six golds and two bronze medals. Between Athens and Beijing, Phelps lived in Ann Arbor, Mich., and trained with Club Wolverine and his long-time swimming coach Bob Bowman, who served as the University of Michigan men's swimming coach.

Phelps made his Olympics debut at the 2000 summer games in Sydney. He was just 15 at the time.

Phelps lives in Baltimore and trains at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club in Mount Washington, which he co-owns with Bowman as part of Aquatic Ventures LLC.

Phelps was raised in Rodgers Forge, near Baltimore, and is a graduate of Towson High School.

Top "Michael Phelps" Articles

Eighth gold: 400 medley relay -- Aug. 17 A frenzy of golden energy, Michael Phelps exited the pool, shaking water off his lithe and lean body. Onto the pool deck splashed the droplets -- those Baltimore roots, the memories from Greece and the immaculate show he had just put on in China. It all...

Related "Michael Phelps" Articles

RIO DE JANEIRO — Michael Phelps didn't have much time to savor his double gold medal night.He was back at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium on Wednesday, getting started on his bid to win the 200-meter individual medley for the fourth straight time.After...

Get your Hump Day started right by catching up on everything you need to know, from the latest at the Olympics to an update from the campaign trail.
1. In The Pool
Things are going swimmingly for team USA in Rio. On Tuesday, both Katie...

RIO DE JANEIRO — The voting among USA Olympians for the honor of carrying the American flag in Friday's opening ceremony came down to two disparate finalists.
One was a female Muslim fencer who will be the first American to wear an hijab at the Olympics....

OMAHA, Neb. — Michael Phelps is heading back to the Olympics.
So is Missy Franklin.
Phelps, the most decorated athlete in Olympic history, held off a stiff challenge from Tom Shields to win the 200-meter butterfly at the U.S. swimming trials Wednesday...

OMAHA, Neb. — Michael Phelps is going for his fifth and, he promises, last Olympics. Katie Ledecky is seeking to extend her dominance. Natalie Coughlin wants to end her career by making history. Ryan Lochte and Missy Franklin are back, too.The big names...

TEMPE, Ariz. — Wearing a tiny swim suit and flashing his abs, Michael Phelps created quite the distraction.The Olympic great, who is training at Arizona State University this year, helped the school's college basketball team Thursday.Phelps appeared...

SAN ANTONIO — Michael Phelps already has far more medals than any Olympic athlete. There is no longer any reason to doubt he'll have another massive haul in Rio.
Not after an astounding weekend in sweltering San Antonio, where Phelps turned in a...

SAN ANTONIO — Michael Phelps made it 3 for 3 at the U.S. national championships, winning the 200-meter individual medley Sunday night with another time that would have been good enough for a world title.Phelps was under world-record pace through the first...

Leaving no doubt that he'll be ready for the Rio Olympics, Michael Phelps turned in his fastest time in the 200-meter butterfly since setting the world record in a high-tech suit six years ago.Phelps' stunner — 1 minute, 52.94 seconds at the U.S. national...

Michael Phelps is still focused on going fast in the pool.Outside the water, he's made some big changes.The winningest athlete in Olympic history will be competing this week at the U.S. championships in San Antonio — basically, a backup meet for all those...

Former UConn cornerback Byron Jones of New Britain, whose senior season was cut short by a shoulder injury, got the full attention of NFL types at the NFL combine Monday, setting a broad jump record (12 feet, 3 inches). His vertical leap: 44.5...

Taysom Hill, the outstanding BYU quarterback, is dealing with even a worse injury than originally believed. He not only broke his left leg Saturday night against Utah State, but tore every major ligament in his knee. Anyone who saw UConn's opener...

USA Swimming announced Monday it has suspended Michael Phelps for six months as a result of his second arrest for drunk driving.The federation's action came a day after Phelps announced he was stepping away from swimming to enter what his...

Dennis Allen is out as coach of the 0-4 Raiders — they didn't leave him in London, did they? — and Tony Sparano is in on an interim basis. Sparano is a West Haven native who attended the University of New Haven, where he was the Chargers...

HARTFORD — Chase Kowalski didn't want to wear his swim vest. So he watched Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte during the Olympics last summer and taught himself how to swim.
The training wheels stayed on his first bike from Christmas until the first nice day...

After a morning of beach volleyball fun at Horse Guards Parade, I am now savoring mimosas and fine cuisine at a hospitality tent at Kensington Palace where I am spending the middle of the day watching rowing and athletics. Tonight it is back to the...

Although LeBron James is getting Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year award, Michael Phelps' phenomenal year won't go unrecognized at an event next week that will celebrate both athletes. The recently retired swimmer and most decorated Olympian...

Michael Phelps wants to dive into Silicon Valley's investment opportunities as he tries to make the transition from Olympic swimming star and product pitchman to entrepreneur. "I would love to get involved, whether it's in a couple little startups...

Michael Phelps has taken another step to put an official seal on his retirement. ESPN and NBC Sports report Phelps told reporters Monday ahead of USA Swimming's Golden Goggle awards that he has removed himself from USA Swimming's drug testing program....